3/18/2008

630 High Street - Part I

The City of Buffalo acquired 630 High Street in October 2006 through an in rem proceeding. It had previously been owned by the illustrious and dethroned Venere Hutchinson - here's that story from June 2005.

630 High Street is located at the end of High Street where it intersects with Genesee (google map) in what is one of my favorite parts of Buffalo. This blog's banner pic was taken on top of another City owned building a few blocks away at 669 Genesee, a building that met a fate similar to what's unfolding here.

When I stopped by the other day, the building was wide open and scrappers were inside collecting what they could. The copper trim was being stripped off and carted away.

630 High Street - side view

This is really an amazing building with its south facing fenestration. I imagine it will be another casulty of the malaise that afflicts this City - demolition by neglect. I mean there's not much left of Genesee Street either. This past October I shot all the cool looking late 19th and early 20th century buildings between Michigan and Jefferson along Genesse Street - slide show - and 630 High is probably the most interesting reminder of what we were.

According to City records ceilings are 12' and each floor has 36,000 feet of space. Killer loft possibility, I know. When I first stumbled upon this spot three years ago I immeadiatly imagined living on the top floor with a roof top garden. I'd driven by it for years down Herman Street and never really noticed it as it's tucked away on an angle. In a similar way, the next block - at Sycamore Street - I'd always looked at the empty corner, too - setting for The Last Fine Time and wondered how it could have all unraveled so quickly.

Just spotted this pic of 630 High from May 2005, here. I'll check on this again.

3 comments:

the east side is crying
said...

It is sheer negligence to let an asset like this deteriorate, not put a "for sale" sign on it, let the building get stripped, and open City taxpayers to huge and unknown liabilities at this City-owned building.

If I send a registered, restricted-delivery letter documenting the neglect to the Mayor, and he does nothing about it for three months, and then the media makes noise about it, will he fire Steve Casey?

who elected the schmuk of a mayor? if he is not doing his job get him outa there! why complain about the poor job the clown does and keep him in there to do more damage? his aids are equally as useless. in most cities in decline where every respectable citizen packs and moves they bring in someone with drastic ideas to turn it around. mayor moron needs to go.